Once again, the National Restaurant Association put on quite a show – representing big names like Coca-Cola as well as small companies like CoffeeInACone. It’s still too early to tell, but this year might beat last year’s 66,000 attendees. With 14.7 million employees in the restaurant industry, it’s certainly a possibility.

Lucky us, we got to sample many of the products displayed on the show floor and talk with vendors. It gave us a great perspective on what’s trending in the food and beverage industry. Above all, the show highlighted the restaurant industry’s movement toward novel, organic, and homemade products, reflecting the desires of the general population.

Here are some of the biggest trends we observed at the show.

International Flavors

The NRA did not simply showcase products and services from the United States. The show was well represented by exhibitors – and attendees – from a variety of locations, including Germany, Japan, China, India, Italy, Mexico, Greece, and others. For example, Grecian Delight offered traditional Mediterranean specialties such as gyros, hummus, and flatbreads. Germany’s Essendorfer’s display included a pyramid of jams and jellies, with unusual products such as apricot passionfruit.